“Are you okay?” he asks.
“I’m totally okay,” I reply honestly. “Just exhausted. People drain me. It’s why I spend so much time alone. But I really liked everyone, and I had a great time.”
“You can tell me if you hated it,” he says, a smile tipping the corners of his lips.
“I didn’t hate it at all,” I reply with a chuckle. “Truly, it was fun. Seth was cute with his girlfriend.”
“He’d better be using condoms,” Noah says, surprising me.
“Do you think he’s…?”
He looks at me and then back to the road. “Oh, yeah. He is. He’s seventeen, and so is she, and they think they’re in love. But if he brings a baby home, his dad will not be okay.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” I say with another sigh. “I think Zack looks like the kind of guy who would be disappointed in his son and then swoop in and do whatever needed to be done to help.”
Noah nods. “You’re right. But let’s not find out.”
“Fair enough.”
“Did my mom drill you?”
“No,” I say, smiling at the thought of Noah’s sweet mom. “She was so nice to both me and Autumn. Hasn’t she met your brother’s fiancée before?”
“She has, but only once because they met in the winter, and Mom and Dad spend most of the winter down south. So I’m sure she was happy to get to talk with both of you.”
“I like your parents.” I yawn. “How’s my eagle?”
Noah looks at me, clearly surprised by the change in subject, but he smiles. “He’s doing well.”
“I’m going to have to check in on him soon.”
“We can arrange that.”
We pull into Noah’s driveway. It’s hot today, but not as hot as it has been, so I’m not necessarily in a hurry to go inside.
“Want to sit on the porch?” I ask.
“Sure, let’s go around back.” He takes my hand and leads me to the back deck. I sit in one of the deep, comfortable chairs and pull my knees up to my chest. “Would you like something cold to drink?”
“A water would be great.”
Noah goes inside and returns less than a minute later with two bottles of water. He passes me one, then sits next to me and takes a long drink.
“The quiet is nice,” he says softly.
“Mm,” I agree, drinking my water, enjoying the way it soothes my dry throat. “You know, I’ve never thought about having a family. It’s just never been on my radar.”
He’s quiet as I take another drink of my water, watching the tree line ahead. A doe and her fawn wander out of the trees and stop to watch us, their ears twitching.
“But maybe it wouldn’t be so bad,” I continue, thinking it over. “To have kids and a family.”
Suddenly, my head whips over to stare at Noah in absolute horror.
“I don’t mean today, or necessarily with you. I mean, I’m not saying I wouldn’t with you, but I was just thinking out loud, I didn’t mean—”
“Stop,” he says with a chuckle and reaches over to take my hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I didn’t think you were proposing. I want you to talk about your thoughts. I enjoy listening to you.”
“I don’t know if I’ve ever felt this comfortable,” I admit, feeling a frown on my lips. “I tell Claire some things, and Penny more than that, but I don’t confide in either of them about much. This is new for me.”
“We all need a person to confide in,” he says softly. “And I’m honored that you’re comfortable with me, Fallon. I’m not here to just have amazing, crazy sex with you. I want to be your friend, too. A relationship is both of those things.”
“You’re right,” I reply with a slow nod, my mind still racing with thoughts. “I’ve always thought of children as a burden. As something to endure.”
I frown and glance over at him, but he’s just watching the deer and listening to me, still holding my hand.
“I mean, my parents? Not good parents. My mom was in and out like I told you before and couldn’t be bothered with me. To be fair, she was about fifteen when she had me and was definitely not ready to be a parent.
“My grandma was wonderful. She was firm but loving, and I never questioned my place with her. But as an adult, I know that if she’d had a choice, she probably would have preferred her daughter not get pregnant in the first place. Like you were saying about Seth, having a child as a teenager is way less than ideal, and puts a lot of pressure on the family.”
“Fal, I wasn’t trying to imply that you—”
“Of course, you weren’t,” I interrupt. “I’m just still thinking out loud.”
“Fair enough.”
“But today, with your family, and Lo and Ty, and everyone…I don’t know. I guess I saw a different side to what it can mean to be part of a family and to have children. They don’t just love their kids, they like them. They listen to and enjoy them.”
He glances at me now, his brown eyes full of concern.
“Did you not feel enjoyed when you were young?”
I pull on my lip, thinking it over. “It feels wrong to imply that Grandma didn’t love me.”
“That wasn’t the question,” Noah says.
“I think I was a handful for a woman who hadn’t led an easy life,” I confess, measuring my words carefully. “And I know that she loved me. But I was a burden for her. She never would have said that to me. Not ever. She was kind and incredibly important to me. But I don’t really remember feeling like Grandma enjoyed raising me. She did it because she loved me and it was her obligation to do so.”
“That makes me sad for you,” he says, squeezing my hand again.
“Oh, there’s no need to be sad for me,” I reply. “That’s why I didn’t want to say anything. I shouldn’t have. I didn’t have a bad childhood in the least.”
“Still, I wish it had been different for you.”
“It was fine. I’m fine. But that’s why I’ve never considered having kids of my own, or really settling down. But after today, watching the others, I don’t know. I guess it seems kind of…good.”
“I think it could be good, yes,” he says.
“But not today,” I remind him. “Not now. I’m just saying.”
“Right. Not today.” He grins and takes a sip of water. “Have you ever considered reaching out to your mom? Maybe trying to have a relationship with her now?”
I shake my head. “No, I haven’t. Let me see if I can explain this. You know when you have a relative as a kid, maybe an aunt or uncle, and you’ve met them a handful of times in your life? You have vague memories of them, but you don’t know them. You’ve seen photos, but the person is a stranger to you?”
“Sure, I think we’ve all had those relatives.”
“That’s my mom for me,” I reply, hoping he understands. “She’s always been someone my grandma would talk about and show me photos of, and maybe once every five years or so, I’d see her briefly in person. But I didn’t know her. I don’t know her. And I don’t feel the urge to seek her out. Not because of anger or resentment, but because she’s not even on my radar. Does that make sense?”
“Absolutely.” He stands and pulls me out of the chair, then lifts me in his arms and walks inside toward his bedroom. “Now, let’s go back to the baby-making conversation. Just because you don’t want one today doesn’t mean we can’t practice today. Just in case.”
I laugh and lean in to kiss his cheek, rough from a five o’clock shadow. “That’s true. You have some good ideas, you know.”
He smiles proudly. “I really do. Here, let me show you my first idea.”
* * * *
The sky through Noah’s window is just starting to lighten up. It’s way early, much earlier than I usually wake up. I would think that with the excitement of the family party yesterday, and all of Noah’s fun, sexy ideas last night, I’d still be exhausted and out cold.
But I’m not.
I’m awake, and ready to start the day.
My God, he’s handsome. With strong, masculine features, he could have modeled back in Roman times for their statues. I don’t know what’s in the water, but they sure make some pretty babies in Cunningham Falls.
I can’t believe I talked about having a family last night. I don’t know what it is about this man, but my mouth just runs when I’m with him. I’m a person who could win an Olympic medal for keeping her mouth shut. I’ve been called a mystery. Cold, even.
But not with Noah.
No, apparently, I practically announce that I’m ready to start making babies with him. Which is just embarrassing.
But he laughed it off and showed me things I had no idea my body was capable of, God bless him.
His eyes flicker open, and he turns to me and smiles softly.
“Good morning.”
“Hi,” I reply. “Can we go see my eagle now?”
His eyelashes flutter. “What time is it?”
“Five-thirty.”
He frowns. “Why are you awake?”
“I don’t know, I guess I just have a lot of energy.”
He takes a deep breath and stretches his arms over his head, giving me a great show of flexing muscles.
The man has muscles for days.
He stands, his back to me and naked as you please, then pads into the bathroom. When he emerges, he reaches for his clothes.
“If you’re going to stay in bed without any clothes on, I’ll join you, and we won’t go see the eagle.”
I grin, not moving. “I’m watching you.”
“A voyeur, are you?”
I bite my lip and nod. “I like the way you look, Mr. King.”
He narrows his eyes and watches as I sit up and let the sheet fall to my waist, exposing my breasts.
“Fallon,” he says quietly. “If you don’t get your fine ass out of my bed right now, I’ll pin you to it and fuck you into the mattress.”
I spring from the bed and kiss him as I hurry past him on my way to the guest room.
“I’d like to request a rain check for the mattress thing,” I call over my shoulder. I hurry into clean yoga pants and a tank, pull my hair up into a ponytail, then rush to the kitchen where I find Noah making himself a to-go mug full of coffee.
The kettle is boiling as well, and he’s set out another tumbler for me.
“You’re sweet,” I murmur, hugging him from behind. I barely reach the bottom of his shoulder blades, he’s so damn tall.
“Make your tea,” he says, turning to plant his lips on the top of my head. “And let’s go see your eagle.”
“Okay.” I grin as I get my tea ready, and then we’re off, riding in his truck over to the sanctuary. We could walk, but he’ll need his truck today, and I can walk back to the house for my Jeep when we’re done. “Someone’s here already?”
“That’s probably Roni,” he says with a smile. “She’s an early bird, no pun intended.”
“Has there ever been anything going on with you and Roni?” I ask, trying to sound casual.
“No,” he says simply and climbs out of the truck. He opens the door for me, but before I can jump to the ground, he cages me in and leans toward me, lowering his lips to mine. The kiss is hot and deep, the kind you feel for the rest of the day. “You’re my only focus, Fal. Jesus, I can’t see anything but you.”
“It was just a question,” I reply breathlessly.
“And now I’ve answered it.” His gaze, brown eyes hot with lust and something I can’t quite label, falls to my lips. “You’re so fucking beautiful.”
“Back at you,” I whisper. A car door slamming breaks the magic of the moment. “Someone’s here.”
“Yeah,” he whispers, sounding almost disappointed by the interruption. “We’ll finish this later.”
“Finish what?”
“What you started in my bed this morning,” he growls before planting another kiss on me and leading me toward the building. “You shouldn’t feel insecure about any other women. They can’t hold a candle to you, sweetheart.”
“Well, okay then.”
We take the sidewalk around the administration building to the one that houses some of the injured birds. Noah unlocks the door, and I walk past him, hurrying down the row of cages to see my eagle.
“Well, hello there,” I croon, pressing my hands and face against the bars. He turns and looks me in the eyes, tipping his head to the side as I talk as if he’s listening to me. “You’re so gorgeous, sweet boy. Are you enjoying the royal treatment in here?”
“I was just going to feed him,” Roni says from behind me, startling me. “Would you like to help?”
I glance over to Noah, but he just grins. “I mean, you’re his human, after all.”
“True.” I look at the eagle again and smile. “Yes, I’d love to feed him.”
“Okay, come on.” Roni opens the cage, and we step inside. Noah closes it behind us. The enclosure is large, almost the size of a small bedroom. Roni carries a large syringe full of brown liquid and a plate with a pile of red meat.
“I’m going to start with some fluids and medicine,” she says in a soft tone. “Good morning, fella. How are you doing today?”
She gingerly lifts him, careful not to hurt his injured wing, and tucks his talons in her gloved hand. She makes it look so easy, but I bet it’s anything but.
“The fluids keep him hydrated, and the medicine will help him heal and not have infection,” she continues as she urges the rubber end of the syringe into his beak and slowly presses the liquid into his mouth. “Good boy. Very good boy.”
She hands the empty syringe to me, and I set it aside.
“There are forceps there,” she says, gesturing to the silver pair on the plate. “You can take a chunk of meat with it and offer it to him. He won’t hurt you.”
“No, he won’t hurt me,” I agree and offer him some meat. He watches me for a moment and then eats the morsel of food eagerly. “You’re a hungry little guy today.”
I croon and feed, reaching out to pet the back of his head. He doesn’t object to the affection.
“Oh, you’re so soft,” I say, offering more food. “And so smart. I wonder what you’re thinking.”
I finish feeding him, and Roni is patient as I continue talking to the eagle and petting him for a bit longer.
“Do you mind if I come to feed him more often?”
“Of course, not,” she says with a smile. “If you’d like to stay with him, you can. I have to go feed the others.”
“No, I have to work.” I watch as she sets him down, and I crouch next to him, whispering to him. “You have a good day, and keep getting better, okay? I’ll see you later. I’ll come more often, I promise.”
I follow Roni out of the cage and smile at Noah, who watches me with soft brown eyes.
“That was fun.”
“You’re a natural,” he says, dragging his fingertips down my cheek.
“I have to go to work,” I say and swallow hard. Whenever he looks at me like this, I want to strip naked and climb him like a freaking tree.
That wouldn’t be appropriate here.
“Can I come?” he asks, surprising me.
“To my yoga class?”
He nods.
“Don’t you have to work?”
“We have eight volunteers coming in at eight,” he replies.
“I’ve got this handled,” Roni calls from a few cages down. “I’ll call if I need you.”
“See?” he says and smiles. “I’ve been dismissed.”
“Looks like you’re going to learn some yoga today,” I reply with a grin. “We’d better get going.”
“I’m right behind you.”
Chapter Nine
~Fallon~
He wants to learn yoga.
I’m honestly surpris
ed. Noah doesn’t strike me as the yoga type, not that there is a type, but most men think it’s a woman thing.
In reality, yoga is wonderful for anyone and everyone, and I’m excited that Noah is curious enough to take a class.
But if I’m being brutally honest, it makes me nervous, too.
“You need a mat,” I inform him and offer him one of mine. We just arrived at my studio in town. I don’t have any classes at the lake today. “And you’re welcome to set it out anywhere.”
“I’ll be in the middle,” he says, looking around the empty room. He walks right out to the middle, unrolls the mat, and then walks back over to me and cradles my neck in his hand before kissing the hell out of me.
“What was that for?”
“I won’t be able to do it for a while, so I’m getting it out of the way now.”
He returns to his mat, leaving me with a crazy smile on my lips and every nerve ending in my body humming deliciously.
“Hey, Fallon,” Brooke Henderson says as she walks into class. “Maisey’s not going to make it today.”
“Good morning. Thanks for letting me know.”
Several others file in after Brooke, some with sleepy eyes, others bright and ready to go. Once they roll out their mats, they sit on the floor. Some stretch, others check their phones.
When it seems that everyone’s here, I take out my own phone and ask if I can snap a photo for my business Instagram. Everyone agrees, and I quickly take the picture, then toss my phone into my bag and sit on my mat, facing the class.
“Good morning,” I say.
“Good morning,” they reply in unison.
Sam Waters hurries in and smiles in apology. “Sorry, Fallon.”
“No worries,” I reply with a smile of my own and wait while he settles in. “Okay, let’s start with our breathing.”
I take them through several breathing exercises, along with some meditation. It’s my favorite way to start the day, and it helps me find my center. I can see stress falling away from my clients, their bodies both relaxing and looking stronger right in front of my eyes.
And then I spend an hour taking them through poses and flows. Some we hold extra-long, letting the worries of the day leave us as we focus on our bodies.
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